Steel sheet-piling.



UNI s'rATEs PATE T orrron cnou'n cnirronn coNxLnve; or stream, New roan, .ASSIGNOR 'ro LAGKAWANNAJ srnnr. oomraNY, or NEW YORK, N. m, A. coaroaa'rroN or NEW YORK.

, STEEL SHEET-FILING.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented 0017.10, 1911.- Application filed February 20, 1911. Ser1al No. 609,640.

To'all wliom it concern:

vBe it known that I, CLOUD CLIFFORD CoNK- "LING, a citizen'of the United States, resid ing at Buifalo, in the county of Erie and 5 Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steel Sheet-Piling,

of which the following is a specification. My invention: relates to steel sheet in which the wall of piling is formed of separate, rolled, integral, steel sections hav-- mg mterlockmgmembers along both edges, adapted to interlock or enga e'with similar members'on adjacent sect1ons,and consis'ts in a new construction of a pile section,

' having certain important advantages.

My new section belongs to the class first described by Hill in Patent No. 829,399 in which the section edge is provided with an inner hook member and an outer guard member, and to the particular variet of that class known as the flexible joint, wherebysulficient angular and longitudinal adjustment between the adjacent sections is permitted.

y with w eh I amacquainted, in the strength of the interlock, and in its high moment of inertia, and consequent great lateral strength as a vertical beam when driven to final working position. It has also preserved one desirable feature of the Hill form, that is the arrangement of the hooks with their engaging faces at right angles to the longitudinal stress, thus opposing the greatest resistance to that stress, and preventing the said faces from sliding on one" another when under pressure. But in the Hill form this feature is combined'with the id joint whereas in in present invention it is combined with the flexible joint Another characteristic and important feature is the guard members, sov formed and arranged as to resist a large part of the longitudinal stress, as well as to prevent lateral displacement, thereby greatly increasing the strength of the interlock; this strength is not greatly affected by turning the sections at such difi'erent angles, one to the other, as ordinarily required in sheet pile constructions, but 1s practically the same for all such different positions of angular adjustment. By my invention all these advantages are combined in a form of. pile section dpleirmitting suflicient angular and longitu al adjustment and providing suflicient clearance between.

ile section is superior to any others i the outer surfaces of the hooks and the inner surfaces of the guards to make the driving easy and to .form the necessary pockets for packing, thus adding to the water-tight qualities of the joints.

My invention and the particular form of pile involving my invention which is here shown will be understood by reference to the drawing, herewith in which the reference numerals and letters of this-description indicate the corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary isometric view -showmg the walL. Fig. 2 s owe the same in plan. Fig. 3 is a plan illustrating the angular adjustment .of the pile section. Fi 4 shows in. plan a single pile of modified orm. In Figs. 1 and 2 the piles are shown in normal position, that is with uniform clearance at all oints between the contact surfaces, be' tlib position of the piling onwhich thb in h of the wall is calculated; in Fig. 3 the surfaces are shown in full contact, in which osition the space occupied by each pile in t e wall is increased. i

, Each pile section consists of the web A havin on each edge the hook member. B and t e longer guard member 0. Those members are arranged to form the groove D, sufiiciently large freely to receive the hook member of the adjacent pile and to permit ile sections assembled in a sufiicient, but not excessive, longitudinal and engaging surface 5 is substantially at a ri ht angle to the plane of the web and is pre erably short. The inner surfaces of the shanks are in fact substantially'parallel to the web, but it will be seen that the outer surfaces incline outwardly" a little; this is for the reason that the hook member must be stronger and therefore heavier toward the end. On the other side of the web extends the guard shank 6 preferably inclined outwardly at a small angle to. the web and havin 1 on its outer end the laterally extending %nger 7 whose inner surface 8 is a simple curve substantially concentric with the curve of the elbow. These curves are rather flat, and approximate lines drawn at a right angle to {he plane of the web. There are thus three ines of engagement at each interlock, the two hook faces, and the fingers with the two elbows. As the hook faces are short and the. curves of the fingers and of the elbows cen tered thereon, the piles are free to turn one on the other, that is angularly to adjust themselves, during driving as is best shown in Fig, 3. In all these varying angular positions the hook faces, or inner engaging surfaces, remain in substantially the same position, that is at a right angle to the long1- t-udinal stress, whereby the greatest resistance to the stress is obtained and tendenc to slip one on the other is avoided. In case of angular adjustment, the concentric finger and elbow, or outer engaging surfaces, turn on those hook faces as centers, and the lines of stress are in all positions radial, that is substantially at right angles, to these outer surfaces. As the degree of angular adjustment changes, the engagement of one outer bearing shortens, but the other correspondingly increases, so that the strength of the interlock is the same in all positions. To be strictly accurate it should be stated that at the maximum angle of angular adjustment of about twelve degrees indicated at the left in Fig. 3,there will be more leverage tending to bend the fingers, and therefore the interlock in that position will be slightly weaker,

but it will be understood that in most installations requiring heavy piling of this type, this maximum angle is seldom reached,

or approached, but an angle of one to four degrees is usually sulficient for all purposes,

and at such a small angle there is no practical decrease in strength. In all of the varying angular positions there is sufiicient clearance forfree driving, and the sealing pockets 9-9 are of suflicient size to admit the material displaced in driving, and pack it in the said pockets, whereby the water tightness isincreased. The packing is commonly the soil in which the piles are driven, but other material might be inserted from above. Flexible joints, permitting sufficient angular and longitudinal adjustment, are

necessary for most installations. The angular adjustability is necessary to maintain the general line of the wall while permitting local curving thereof in order to clrcumnavigate obstacles met in drivin the sections. The longitudinal adjustment 1s necessary 'to permit the wall to be lengthened or shortened, by expanding or shortening at the joints, to allow the final closure of the wall or walls, as in cofier-dam pockets. Rigid joint pilingpermits neither longitudinal nor angular ad ustment, and furthermore is liable to produce leverage within the joints when driving, should the piles tend to depart from a straight line, thereby weakening the joints. a

To increase the strength of the interlock in pile sections, necessarily the'amount of metal in the interlocking members must be increased. The metal in my present form is, i

so arranged on both sides of the neutral axis as to produce a'joi'nt with a high moment of resistance in the section, and increased lateral strength, giving greatly increased acts as a vertical beam. The interlock is also stronger than that. of any piling with which I am acquainted, and may be proportioned to be equal to the strength of the web, producing awall of practically uniform strength at all points. The parts are so formed that' there will be sufficient clearance :tor .easy driving, and sealing pockets of suflioient size to I'8CB1V6 the displaced material or packing, thereby adding to easy driving and increased strength in the pile when in final position it water-tightness of the joints, The metal is symmetrically arranged around the transverse axes, which arrangement is desirable for correct driving because the center of gravity ofthe section more neai'ly coincides with the center of gravity of the pile hammer. An excess of metal on one side or the other of the transverse axis would tend to force the top of the sect-ion ahead orback in driving.

The particular form of section hereinshown may be somewhat modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, of which some features may be used with other typies of piling.

1. An integral sheet piling section having a web and on each ed thereof interlockin elements consisting o a hook and a guar said guard being longer than the hook and being adapted to extend around and e o with the outer surface of the hook on an a .-1 i

j acent section when assembled in a wall, and" said .hook havingan engaging faceipractically at a right angle to the plane of the 1' ing ace to engage with a hook on an ad- .jacent section, and said guard being longer than the hook and being adapted to extend around and engage with the outer surface of said hook on the adjacent section.

' 3. An integral, rolled, steel sheet piling section of the flexible joint type having a aving thus described my invention, I

claim,

web and on each edge thereof interlocking elements consistin of a hook and-a guard, said elements eac havin a substantially straight shank, the hook aving an engaging ace arranged at avright an 1e with the -plane of the web to engage with a cor- "the hook and being adapted ,to extend around and engage with said hook on the adjacent sect-ion. p

4. A steel sheet piling section for inter-' lockin steel piling having a web and on each edge thereof ahook and a guard, both provided with substantially straight shanks and inwardly extending'ends on the shanks, and the guard being longer than the hook.

5. An integral steel sheet piling section of the flexible joint t pe,-having a web and on each edge thereo a hook and a ard inclosing a groove of sufiicient size reely to receive the hook on an adjacent section and to leave a sealing pocket within the groove, said hook having a tip provided with an engaging face arranged substan tially at a right angle to the web.

6. An integral, steel, sheet piling section of the. flexible joint type, having a web and on each edge thereof a hook and a ard inclosing a. groove of suflicient size reely to receive'the hook on an adjacent section and to leave a sealing pocket within the v groove, said hook having a tip provided with an engaging face arranged substantially at a right angle to the web, and said guard being arranged to engage with the outer surface of said hook on the engaging section, the sections when assembled having on each edge thereof a hook and a .opposite sides of the web and the three separate lines of engagement being between the hook faces, and between each guard and the outer surface of each hook.

' 7. An integral rolled steel sheet piling section of the flexible joint type, having in combination a web and on each edge thereof a hook and a guard inclosing a groove of sufflcient size freely to receive the hook on an adjacent section and to leave a sealing pocket Within the groove, the hook consisting of an elbow oflset on one side of the web, a shank and a tip on said shank having an engaging face arranged substantially at a right angle to the plane of the web, and said guard member having a finger engaging with said elbow.

8. An integral steel sheet piling sectionof the flexible joint type, having a web ang ar inclosing a groove of sufficient size eely to receive the hook on an adjacent section and to leave a sealing pocket within the groove, said hook having a tip provided with an engaging face arranged substantially at a right angle to the web, the hook and guard each being provided with a shank offset from the plane of the web or;

guar having the longer shank, and each shank having an inwardly extending tip provided with an inner engaging surface.

9. An integral rolled steel sheet piling section of the flexible joint type, having in combination a web and each edge thereof similarly formed with a hook and a guard inclosing a groove of suflicient size freely to receive the hook on an adjacent section and to leave a sealing pocket within the" --groove, the hook consisting of an elbow offset on one side of the web, a shank and a tip on said shank having an engaging face- I arranged substantially at a right angle to the plane of the web, and the guard consisting of a shank ofi'set on the opposite side of the web and of a tip having an inner engaging surface. l

10. An integral, steel, sheet piling-section having in combination a web and on each edge thereof a hook and aguard respectively ofi'set on opposite sides of the web and said guard belng longer than thehook, said hook having an elbow extending from the web, a shank on the elbow and an inwardly-extending tip on the end of the shank, said elbow'having an outer curved surface and said tip having-a short, substantially straight, inner, engaging surface arranged substantially at a right angle to .the web, and said guard havmg a shank and an inwardly extending finger on the shank end formed with a curved inner surface, and said curved surfaces on the elbow and the finger being flat curves approximating lines at a right angle to the web.

11. An integral, steel, sheet piling section having in combination a web and on each edge thereof a hook and a guard re-.

toe

arranged substantially at a right angle to the web, and said guard having a shank and formed with a curved inner surface, said hook and guard inclosing a groove of suffian inwardly extending finger, .on its end cient siz'e freely to receive the hook on an' I adjacent section and to leave a. sealing pocket in the groove.

12. An integral, steel, sheet piling section of the flexible joint type, having in combination a web and on each edge thereof a hook and a guard res ectively offset on opposite sides of the we ,and said guard being longer than the hook, said'hook having an elbow extending from the web, a shank on the elbow substantially arallel to the web and an inwardl exten ing tip on the end of the shank, said elbow having an outer curved surface and said tip, having a short, substantially straight, inner, engaging surface arranged substantially at a right angle to the web, and'said guard having a shank inclining away from the plane of tially eoncentric-and centerdi substantiall the web and an inwardl extendin finger on the short engaging faces of the hoo on its end jormed wit a. curv inner tips. A surface, said hook and guard inclosing a In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 groove of suflicient size freely to receive name to this specification in the presence of 15 1 the hook on an adjacent section, and to two subscribin witnesses."

leave a sealing pocket 'in the groove, per- CLOUD LIFFORD CQNKLING. I mitting angular adjustment of adjacent sec- Witnesses:

tions, and said curved surfaces'on the hook EDWARD C. HADI,

10 elbow, and the guard finger being substan- G. B. Honimnom 4 

